Make your own felted wool dryer ball

Thanks to this tutorial, I have managed to make my own dryer ball. I am such a nerd, but I am terribly pleased about this. I found wool yarn at a discount store so I didn’t even spend more than a couple dollars for the whole project. I’ve washed and dried the ball twice now, but it doesn’t look as felted as I thought it would. It will continue to felt the more it gets tossed into the dryer.

Now I got interested in these things for a couple reasons – all having to do with trying to be greener. Yes, I know that if I was really being green, I wouldn’t even be using my dryer. Truth is, I do hang many things but not everything. I have always used dryer sheets to help reduce static cling, but I wasn’t happy with the idea of tossing them in the garbage. I found some dryer balls on the market but they are made of pvc material, and the toxins and health issues there had me running in the opposite direction. So. The environmentally-friendly static-reducing wonder is the felted wool dryer ball. You can buy these on etsy and have someone else make them for you, but it was really easy to do. It might even be something you can get the kids involved in. I know my kitten was definitely interested. All it takes is your time and a few dollars worth of yarn. And an old pair of pantyhose, but who doesn’t have at least one pair of hose with a run in them stuffed into a drawer?

Felted wool dryer balls are said to cut down on drying time and reduce static cling; they are non-toxic and environmentally-friendly. Why not give it a try? It’s the small things that add up to make a big difference.

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Do these really work well?
I’ve stopped buying dryer sheets and have been hanging our clothing outside. BUT, some things just need to go into the dryer–black shirts for one thing seem to retain a lot of lint without a spin through the dryer. And some shirts completely lose their shape–why is that!?! Shirts all stretched out like I am pregnant?–I THINK NOT!!

Hmmm…maybe I could convince some crafty person I know to make me one for a small gift. A just because we are friends?? : )

I have tried making these and 2 of the 3 fell apart in my dryer. I did as instructed but after about 5 loads one fell apart and then after another 2 loads the 2nd fell apart :( Can anyone help me here?

Nicole – Sorry to hear that. I didn’t have that problem with the dryer balls I made. I know you can purchase dryer balls that are reusable, even though they aren’t handmade, but I haven’t used them so I don’t know if they work well or not.
~ Michelle